VivienneWestwood 1998 MarilynMonroe CorsetDress Velvet Moire Red Evening Gown
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Length: 37 in (93.98 cm)Marked Size: FR40 (EU)Shoulder to Hem: 37 in (93.98 cm)
- Style:1950s meets 18th-century (In the Style Of)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU3244218119632
Vivienne Westwood
For someone who regularly swatted away the industry that made her, audacious British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood certainly knew her way around a garment. And she knew how to provoke. “I don’t follow fashion,” Westwood once told the New York Times. “I’ve never been interested in it.” Collectors are certainly interested in her work, and vintage Vivienne Westwood dresses, handbags, lingerie and jackets have become very desirable over the years.
Westwood was born Vivienne Isabel Swire in a village in Derbyshire, in central England, but moved to London as a teen. In the early 1960s, she began to make her own necklaces and other jewelry and met an artist, activist and entrepreneur named Malcolm McLaren. They became involved romantically and she made clothes for him in the style of the Teddy Boys — the city’s music-crazed, occasionally violent teenagers at the time who wore high-waisted trousers and tailored velvet blazers that drew on Edwardian-era fashions.
Westwood and McLaren opened a vintage shop on King’s Road in London in 1971. The flared denim and peasant blouses of the 1960s, then still popular with the “peace and love” set, didn’t hold any weight for Westwood. Instead, she was interested in provocative, edgy apparel. She repaired used clothing and endeavored to create bold new designs from scratch.
Together Westwood and McLaren sold older rock-and-roll records, customized T-shirts with antiestablishment slogans, biker jackets and snug trousers inspired by the Marlon Brando film The Wild One as well as bondage fetish wear. The shop, once called Let It Rock and then Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die before Sex became a more appropriate moniker, evolved into a youth mecca. The DIY garments — zippered tops, burnt tees emblazoned with anarchist messages — flew off the shelves. More notably, it brought punk to the masses.
Westwood was soon dressing the Sex Pistols, a band that McLaren managed, all the while bridging the gap between music and fashion in a manner that has reverberated throughout the industry for decades.
In 1981, the couple’s first fashion show marked the debut of their Pirate collection — a swashbuckler-themed line that sprang from Westwood’s research into Indigenous Americans and the “power garments” of the Louis XIV era. The collection’s ample proportions and cutting-edge tailoring countered punk’s geometry and tight latex fits as well as what rocker Adam Ant called the “Puritanism” that plagued England at the time. The Pirate collection’s enduring influence on the world of fashion as well as the theatrical work of designers such as John Galliano and Alexander McQueen is undeniable.
For the colorful corsets of her 1990 Portrait collection, Westwood drew on 18th-century oil paintings — her models donned the pearl necklaces that have become a social media star and a favorite of influencers and fashion lovers all over the world. For a jacket-and-shorts suit from her Fall/Winter 1996–97 Storm in a Teacup line, the designer used the extreme asymmetry of a tartan mash-up to confront, according to Westwood, “the horror of uniformity and minimalism.”
The self-taught Westwood enjoyed a rapid ascent in fashion, with British society embracing her looks and Vogue immortalizing them in its glossy pages. She garnered accolades for introducing corsets to the runway and dressed Kate Moss and Helena Bonham Carter. And an original Vivienne Westwood wedding dress is featured in 2008’s Sex and the City film.
The fires of political and environmental activism burned brightly for Westwood: She was a Greenpeace ambassador, having designed the organization’s official “Save the Arctic” logo; her clothing brand is committed to using recycled canvas and other eco-friendly materials in the production process; and in 2020, she protested the extradition of Julian Assange by suspending herself in a bird cage outside London’s Old Bailey court. But she will always be the grande dame of British design.
Find an extraordinary range of vintage Vivienne Westwood shirts, shoes, gowns and other items today on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: North Adams, MA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- MartinMargiela 1990 1stRetrospectiveCollection1994 Sheer Black Convertible ApronBy Maison Martin MargielaLocated in Chicago, ILDating this minimalist convertible transparent black chiffon rectangular garment by Belgian former fashion designer Martin Margiela to Spring 1994 among his many variations of the traditional waiter-style apron that he reworked with his eponymous Maison Martin Margiela since its first collection for Spring/Summer 1989, the iconic corner-stitched textural white-cotton brand label is stenciled with seemingly contradictory text referencing an earlier collection in Fall 1990. Instead of the blank label that had become internationally recognized among the fashion elite within the brand's initial five years--before the presence of any other tag printed with the designer name--this black print was added in this manner for only one collection during its founder's tenure. The distinct typography specified the collection season when the new Margiela design had debuted since he selected favorites to re-edition from his first 10 fashion shows. This season-less self-curated retrospective collection without any new designs was unprecedented in the ready-to-wear fashion industry, which sold only new clothes typically two to five times annually. In the early 1990s, this old-made-new-again collection was astonishing for a Paris-based high-end brand, for which any lack of fresh designs for Spring had otherwise been attributed to the loss of an artistic director or the outbreak of war. Nevertheless, there are subtle differences of color, material and draping possibilities that make our re-edition unique from the 1990 apron and from later "replicas", which was the term that Margiela printed on a different kind of label for his second self-curated retrospective in Spring 1999 following 10 more collections. Aside from the text-printed brand label with four characteristic hand-sewn corner stitches, the only other element that unified Margiela's first collection of favorites was that all the items were overdyed a darker color so that the clothes were various shades of grey, blue or black depending on the original color of the textile and how much dye the thread/yarn absorbed. The first Margiela apron...Category
1990s Italian Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- 1990s JilSander BiasCut Black Sheer Linen DeepVneck LongSleeve Tunic MiniDressBy Jil SanderLocated in Chicago, ILWith the finest fabric and tailoring--the base expectation for all progressive minimalist luxurious fashions designed for powerful women by German Jil Sander before the Prada-buyout ...Category
1990s German Mini Dress
- Balenciaga NicolasGhesquiere SilkFlowerPrint StructuredShortSleeve BiasCutDressBy Balenciaga, Nicolas GhesquièreLocated in Chicago, ILWhile at Balenciaga in late 2007, Nicolas Ghesquiere designed this 100%-silk bias-cut paneled dress that explodes with a grey and pale-yellow flower print and features unique technic...Category
Early 2000s French Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Alaia Paris 1990s BiasCut CurvilinearSeamedButt DropWaist Draping Knit DressBy Azzedine AlaïaLocated in Chicago, ILIn the early 1990s, Paris-based Azzedine Alaia (1935-2017) designed this knit pullover chemise-style sleeveless lavender violet viscose dress that features bias panels in back define...Category
1990s French Chemises
- BillBlass 1970s TuxedoLike EcruSatinTrim BoldShoulder BlackWoolCrepe ShiftDressBy Bill BlassLocated in Chicago, ILAround 1970 when he introduced his eponymous brand after becoming a leading couture fashion designer among New York City society, American Bill Blass created this sleek tuxedo-like e...Category
1970s American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1980s VictorCosta GatheredRuched RedSatin BlackVelvet LongSlit Formal Maxi GownBy Victor CostaLocated in Chicago, ILFor a formal special event, this 1980s maxi dress sleeveless gown by American designer Victor Costa features glamorous glossy red satin that is gathered, ruched and topstitched in bo...Category
1980s American Maxi Dress
- MORPHEW COLLECTION Lilac Silver Antique Silk Lamé Gown With 1930S CrystalsBy MorphewLocated in New York, NYMORPHEW COLLECTION Lilac Silver Antique Silk Lamé Gown With 1930S Crystals MORPHEW COLLECTION is made entirely by hand in our NYC Ateliér of rare antique materials sourced from arou...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Gowns
- Runway Yves Saint Laurent S/S 1989 Lipstick Red Rayon Jersey Strapless 80s DressBy Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Yves Saint LaurentLocated in San Diego, CASensational vintage YSL Rive Gauche spring / summer 1989 runway lipstick red rayon jersey strapless 1980s dress ! The same dress was featured on the runway in black. Sash at side wai...Category
1980s French Cocktail Dresses
- Roland Klein black strapless dress with black and white striped trainBy Roland KleinLocated in Austin, TX1980s Roland Klein black strapless dress with black and white train. Acetate fabric. 34" bust, 26" waist, 40" hips, 48" front length - 54 1/2" ba...Category
1980s British Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Matthew Williamson Navy Blue Smocked Waist Detail Embellished Neck Sleeveless DrBy Matthew WilliamsonLocated in Dubai, Al Qouz 2When you feel like looking fantastic, pick this dress from Matthew Williamson. This sleeveless outfit exudes modernity and elegance with its beautifully embellished neck and interest...Category
2010s Italian Evening Dresses
- Vivienne Westwood Nude Satin, Black Lace and Velvet Corset and Skirt, FW 1996By Vivienne WestwoodLocated in London, GB▪ Brand: Vivienne Westwood Gold Label ▪ Creative Director: Vivienne Westwood ▪ Collection: Fall-Winter 1996 ▪ Fabric: Black Lace, Nude Satin ▪ Details: One-shoulder corset top adorn...Category
1990s English Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1960s Galanos Creme Long Sleeve Dress with Green Rhinestones EmbellishmentBy Galanos for Amelia Gray, James GalanosLocated in Beverly Hills, CA1960s James Galanos from Amelia Gray Boutique Creme silk crinkle long sleeve dress embellished in green rhinestones and white beads. Dress has some issues on the arm pit . ( see imag...Category
1960s American Wedding Dresses